by Beth Hester
Since this issue has an editorial focus on Coastal Virginia’s creative economy, we thought this would be a great opportunity to ask leaders in our arts community to weigh in on the following question:
What inspires you most when you see the arts and business communities working together successfully, and how can regional leaders better support artists, makers, museums, musicians, performers and performance spaces, designers, and creative entrepreneurs?
David Brashear, Director, Muscarelle Museum of Art
The celebration of creativity is foundational to community vibrancy. Smart communities elevate arts organizations and practitioners, building dimensionality into their towns, cities and regions. Supporting museums, performance spaces, and artist studios allows for an ecosystem of creative expression to flourish and multiply, and the direct outcomes are oriented to both well-being and economic growth.
We have an amazing network of interesting museums in Southeastern Virginia and I’m energized by our cooperation—we know each other, we learn from each other, and we support each other—all in a quest to collectively deliver exceptional and varied opportunities to explore the visual arts. When we are successful, we provide fun and educational experiences that can be enjoyed casually or intently, but in every case, we are bringing community members together to share experiences and be inspired. And from there, the sky is the limit!
Alison Byrne, Executive Director, Virginia MOCA
When the arts and business communities work together successfully, you can feel the impact across an entire region. Museums, universities, small businesses, tourism leaders, developers, and local governments all play a role in shaping cultural life, and regions grow stronger when those sectors see themselves as partners in that work.
At Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, we see every day how contemporary art creates connection, sparks conversation, and brings people together in meaningful ways. The arts are not separate from economic vitality; they are essential to it. Artists, musicians, designers, performers, and creative entrepreneurs help define the identity and energy of our area.
Regional leaders can best support the creative economy by investing in spaces for artists to create and gather, championing collaboration across sectors, and recognizing that arts and culture are critical infrastructure for vibrant, thriving communities. Creative communities grow stronger with sustained investment and long-term support. When we make room for creativity to flourish, we create communities where people want to live, work, visit, and belong.
Robert Cross, Executive Director/Perry Artistic Director, Virginia Art Festival
Forward-thinking business and municipal leaders understand that the arts are a powerful economic engine, offering unique and effective partnership opportunities that draw visitors and new residents to our region. Already in our 2026 season, the Virginia Arts Festival has welcomed visitors from 47 states and 12 countries, filling hotels, restaurants, and shops. Thirty-three percent of Festival ticket buyers travel from outside our region, bringing significant cash into the regional economy, while also supporting other cultural organizations, enhancing their experience with trips to Chrysler Museum, Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown,/Jamestown and more.
Our corporate partners see the value of the arts in attracting new, key employees and a broader customer/client base. And our visionary municipal leaders have seen the impact of the Virginia Arts Festival’s education programs that reach tens of thousands of area students, raising test scores and graduation rates.
As we plan our 30th season in 2027, I’m inspired by community leaders who recognize the arts’ vital role in making our region a vibrant place to live, work, and visit.
Todd Holcomb, Director of Major & Planned Giving, WHRO Public Media, Artistic Director, Tidewater Classical Guitar, Performing Artist
As an advocate, community builder, and active performer in our region, the most inspiring part of seeing the arts and business communities work together is watching both sides recognize that creativity drives growth. Strong arts organizations bring energy, tourism, education, and identity to a region, while businesses can provide the investment and partnerships that allow creative work to thrive long-term. When that relationship works well, the entire community benefits.
In Hampton Roads, we’ve seen how collaborations between organizations like WHRO Public Media, nonprofit arts groups, local businesses, universities, arts councils, and civic and cultural agencies can amplify stories that might otherwise go unheard and create opportunities for artists to build sustainable careers here at home.
Regional leaders can better support the creative economy by viewing artists and arts organizations as long-term partners in economic development. That means investing in performance spaces, public art, arts education, marketing partnerships, and funding structures that help creative entrepreneurs grow. A thriving arts community doesn’t happen accidentally—it requires leadership, visibility, and consistent support.
Kate Pittman, Executive Director at ViBe Creative District
I am most inspired by the collaborative nature of creative entrepreneurs and local artists throughout our region—it’s clear, the arts create better business. In recent years, there has been a surge in Hampton Roads’ cities utilizing public art, murals and other creative placemaking tools to reflect their unique City’s identities while collectively raising the bar for our Hampton Roads region. From Virginia Beach City Council formally creating a designated fund for the arts in 2024, including sustainability grants for arts nonprofits and Individual Artist Support Grants, to the Virginia Commission for the Arts announcing Artist Catalyst Grants in 2027, there is clear support that creatives bring value to our Commonwealth.
Impactful private organizations, like the Arts Alliance, strongly promote the critical relationship of the corporate business world and the arts communities with supportive research, data and grants. Regional leaders can support this collective effort in hiring local creatives to design, perform, promote, beautify, and enhance the functional needs of our everyday lives. Business leaders can be even more effective in connecting arts organizations to broader audiences and vice versus—each amplifying the other.
Kiandra Quinn, Development Manager, d’Art Center
When I visit attractive cities across the country, they all to have one thing in common: a thriving arts community. Seeing the arts and business communities come together is not only inspiring, it’s exciting, because there’s a natural synergy between the two. If a city wants to attract young professionals and retain creative talent, it needs to offer more than just good jobs. Galleries, theaters, and other creative spaces are what make a city feel vibrant and alive.
Conversely, even the most exciting arts districts are strengthened by the restaurants, shops, cafés, and other businesses around them. You can’t have one without the other. Our leaders can better support the arts by treating creativity as more than just an afterthought to economic development. If Hampton Roads truly wants to grow as a region, attract talent, and build vibrant communities, then investing in the arts can no longer be optional, it has to be part of the vision.
Holly Koons, Executive Director, Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center, Christopher Newport University
The business community’s support of the region’s arts and cultural organizations is essential to the vitality and desirability of Hampton Roads. Art museums and other cultural organizations directly impact quality of life in the region, making it a more attractive place for residents and visitors alike. From the Muscarelle Museum at William & Mary, the Torggler Center at Christopher Newport, and the Hampton University Art Museum on the peninsula, to the Barry Art Museum at ODU, the Chrysler Museum of Art, and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art on the southside—we are fortunate to have a plethora of respected visual arts organizations in Hampton Roads. These institutions provide enrichment, inspiration, and expansive educational opportunities that are good for citizens and business alike.
When businesses support the region’s museums, the entire community benefits from the (often free) programming that results. And the business community gains as well, as the presence of robust cultural organizations helps attract and retain area residents and drives tourism to the area.
